Dear Spokane District Dental Society,

Today, Gov. Jay Inslee announced a requirement for workers in private health care (including dental offices) and long-term care settings, in addition to most state workers, contractors, and volunteers, to be fully vaccinated with a recommended COVID-19 vaccine by October 18, 2021. Please note that there will not be a test-out option.

Additionally, employers will need to verify vaccination status of all employees, and under this proclamation, self-attestation is not an allowable mechanism for proving vaccination.

According to the Governor’s Office, this new requirement does include exemptions to the vaccine for individuals with legitimate medical reasons or sincerely held religious reasons. Exemptions do not include personal or philosophical objections.

As health care providers, we are trusted sources of fact-based medical information. Throughout the pandemic, WSDA has strongly encouraged dentists to champion COVID-19 vaccination among their teams, patients, and communities. Earlier this year, the Association worked with dentists across the state to publish a collection of articles to educate the public about the safety and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines and to encourage vaccination among those who remain hesitant. WSDA continues to strongly encourage COVID-19 vaccination.

Unvaccinated individuals can visit vaccinelocator.doh.wa.gov to find an appointment near them.

WSDA has been in ongoing communication with the Governor’s Office and will share more information as it becomes available. Additional details and full language of the proclamation are expected tomorrow and will be updated at wsda.org/COVID-19.

Sincerely,


Dr. Dennis Bradshaw
WSDA President

In need of a Secretary/Treasurer for SDDS! Even if you can only commit until May 2022.

Our next general membership meeting will be held Tuesday, November 9 at 5:30 p.m.
Doors will open at 5 p.m. Please notice that this meeting time has changed. We have State Representative, Michelle Caldier coming to educate the membership on recent bills that have passed related to the profession, along with the newly formed Dental Therapy Task Force that she was appointed to. We will have the CE presentation to follow. I have attached the form to sign up.

Program Schedule

5:00 pm Social
5:30-6:30 pm State Représentative Michelle Caldier
6:30-6:40 pm Break
6:40-6:45 pm Sponsor
6:45-8:15 pm CE Program: "Odontogenic Sinusitis"

Presented by: Dr. David Stoddard and Dr. Rod Tataryn
Registration Information

On Oct. 23, the Dental Quality Assurance Commission (DQAC) adopted new dental infection control rules. As a part of the new rules, dental practitioners will be required to complete one hour of current infection prevention standards education annually by a qualified individual or organization.

DQAC’s Infection Control Committee still needs to address a few items, such as the date by which the training will be due and the means by which the training can be administered, and will be meeting in the near future to make a determination and provide clarification.

WSDA recommends that members wait until the Committee provides clarification before taking infection control training to satisfy the new requirement to avoid the possibility of the training not qualifying.

Future Member Benefit – Infection Control Training

After receiving clarification from the Committee, WSDA will develop an infection control training that meets the new requirements and will offer it as a member benefit to all WSDA members and their staff. Please continue to watch for updates from WSDA in the coming weeks regarding dental infection control requirements.

DQAC Update

On Friday, Dec. 11, the Dental Quality Assurance Commission (DQAC) determined that it is within a dentist’s scope of practice to administer COVID-19 vaccines during the current state of emergency. The Commission will formalize this determination by creating an interpretive statement on the matter. Additionally, the Commission will undergo emergency rulemaking to allow dentists to delegate the administration of COVID-19 vaccines to dental hygienists.

The next step will be to receive authorization from the Governor. WSDA’s lobbying team is actively engaging with the Governor’s office and will provide an update as soon as possible.

Frequently Asked Questions effective January 23, 2021
Please read our FAQ

WAC 246-817-660 goes in effect on December 1, 2021, but you should not wait! Do your research and put protocols in place to test and maintain waterlines, document your procedures and results, and make sure you are in compliance with the new State regulations.

Click here to learn more

Please read our Health Care Provider Letter for more information.